Submitted by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger
An unidentified 50 year old asthmatic South African man has a chilling story to tell. Taphophobia is the fear of being buried alive. Last Saturday in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa, the man went to sleep and almost had that fear come true. His family, thinking he was dead, called a local undertaker to come get the body. The undertaker then transfered the undead body to a local mortuary where morgue owner Ayanda Maqolo checked the body for a pulse and found nothing. The body was put in body bag and then to a freezer for storage. Much to the surprise of the mortuary workers, who thought they were hearing a ghost at first, some twenty-one hours later the man woke up inside the freezer and began calling for help. “He screamed for help and made an almighty din in the morgue,” said Eastern Cape health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo. The man was taken by ambulance to Saint Barnabas Hospital where he was treated for hypothermia and dehydration and released. His family was having a meeting to discuss funeral arrangements when they were informed he was still alive. They were, of course, delighted to have the grandfather back and unharmed. Ayanda Magolo, however, did experience some side-effects.”I couldn’t sleep last night, I had nightmares,” he said. “But today I’m much better.” South African officials are reminding people that it is not a good idea to pronounce a person dead yourself and call the undertaker. Such evaluations should be made by paramedics, doctors or other qualified personnel.
Source: BBC, AP, Times Live
~Submitted by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger